First let me congratulate you and Stefan on reaching the one million land mark. Also, I’ll be looking forward to those photos you mention, since after all as the clique confirms a picture speaks a thousand words.

You also mention of expanding your physical horizons in a bit of a cryptic manner, yet it sounds like you’ll be taking to the outdoors in some capacity. I’ve heard much of how many Germans enjoy hiking and wondered if this may play into it. In thinking I’d be cleaver and leave a link revealing someone hiking I roamed around the web attempting to find a piece about Germans and their outdoor passion and in doing so stumbled across a coupled of articles, one in Spiegel Online linked from Australia’s Daily Telegraph reporting the villager of the Swiss town of Appenzell are currently at odds with a particular variety of German hiker as of late. Not that I’m suggesting that this is what you may be embarking on, just that I found that the character and nature of your countrymen can be so puzzling at times :-) So what ever it be I do hope you enjoy your more worldly sabbatical.

Sorry to disappoint you, I meant I'm going on a conference and one that is apparently focused on condensed matter in addition, together with visiting some physics departments. But yes, in fact I like hiking. Germans probably enjoy it because in their country there's no poisonous or otherwise lifethreatening animals that might cross their way, it does neither get really cold nor really hot, and the country is too densely populated to get lost (if you manage to walk straight ahead 24 hours, you'll cross at least one highway). Best,

Depending on your proclivities, please have a Happy St. Puketricks Day or St. Pooka-tricks Day! Well, to be more straightforward and "normal" (ugh) I could just say "Happy St. Patrick's Day" to everyone. Bee or stefan, do Germans celebrate SPD much?

You certainly had me thinking in the wrong direction, for I thought seeing things have thawed out just recently you were turning from the cerebral for a while to venture out to just let the world come to you for a change. Condensed matter discussions and visiting physic departments just didn’t seem to be what was implied. In regards to your comment on hiking and its safety in Germany are there no bears one could run into or have they all long since been gone? Then in regards to those minimally equipped hikers are there no mosquitoes in Germany either? One thing for certain the sun screen lotion business must be thriving. It seems to me that sturdy lederhosen still would be the most appropriate attire when walking through the tree and bush lined trails :-)

So good luck with your continued search for that Aha-Erlebnis moment and as Hilbert reminded “wir müssen wissen, wir werden wise”.

Hello Neil,not at all! Majority in Germany is protestant or heathen, but even the catholics dont make SPD fuss.(SPD is "Social Democratic Party" in Germany)Hello Phil,no, no bears in Germany today. As far as I remember, the last bear shot is some 500 years ago. There are some bears in Austria and South Tyrolia (resettled), and two years ago one of them migrated to Germany.There was a lot of fuss about this bear, he was shot after some weeks because he was known to be dangerous. Most dangerous animal in the forests is wild boar. Mosquitoes: There are Mosquitoes, true Anopheles are found along the upper Rhine between Mannheim and Basel. (But no Malaria) Lyme disease (from ticks) is on its migration from southeast since about 20 years. RegardsGeorg

Thanks for setting me straight in regards to my queries. So there are no more bears, yet one needs to be mindful of wild boars. You have mosquitoes, yet their bite posses no danger beyond the irritation they bring, but one should be careful of ticks. So if ever I be hiking in Germany I’ll heed your warning that I should be careful not to get ticked while staying clear of the boars. I would say that to be universally sound advice even in Canukland:-)